Coin sorting device

ABSTRACT

A coin-sorting device includes a coin receptacle which is arranged adjacent the upper end of a sorting bar which is inclined for the feeding of coins therealong. The sorting device includes a plate which bears on a plane of an inner wall of the receptacle and this wall is inclined backwardly from the vertical in order that it might receive the coins placed in the receptacle. Crank means are provided for moving the plate upwardly and downwardly. In its upper position an inclined top edge of the plate is aligned with the inclined sorting bar. Coins which are moved to the edge of the plate during its downward movement, because of the inclined deposition of receptacle and the rear wall thereof, are lifted upwardly by the plate until its lowermost edge is alongside the end of the sorting bar at which point the coins will roll off the plate onto the bar. In order to insure that the coins become trapped on the plate, and that no other coins interfere with the rolling movement, a second plate is arranged for up and down movement in a location directly overlying the first plate and it provides a shielding effect in respect to the other coins in the receptacle in order to hold the coins which are trapped on the first plate and permit their rolloff without interference by the other coins. The crank means for operating the second plate is such that the two plates move with the same up and down frequency of movement but the second lags in phase behind the first plate.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Herbert K. Zschaeck Oberflockenbach; Karl Rothinger, Plankstadt, both of Germany [21] Appl. No. 877,690 [22] Filed Nov. 18, 1969 [45] Patented Dec. 7, 1971 [73] Assignee Firma Konte r Kontrolltechnik Mannheim, Germany [54] COIN SORTING DEVICE 11 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs. [52] U.S. Cl 133/3, .221/254, 221/164, 221/156 [51] Int. Cl G07d 3/00 [50] Field olSearch 133/3, 1; 221/254, 179, 164, 156; 209/73 56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,242,932 3/1966 Becker 133/3 X 2,819,465 1/1958 Mcllvin 221/156 2,108,694 2/1938 Smith etal 221/254 X 1,632,852 6/1927 Richter 209/73 X 1,609,994 12/1926 Ellis 209/73 X Primary Examiner- Robert B. Reeves Assislan! E.raminer-James M. Slattery AImrney-McGlew and Toren ABSTRACT: A coin-sorting device includes a coin receptacle which is arranged adjacent the upper end of a sorting bar which is inclined for the feeding of coins therealong. The sorting device includes a plate which bears on a plane of an inner wall of the receptacle and this wall is inclined backwardly from the vertical in order that it might receive the coins placed in the receptacle. Crank means are provided for moving the plate upwardly and downwardly. In its upper position an inclined top edge of the plate is aligned with the inclined sorting bar. Coins which are moved to the edge of the plate during its downward movement, because of the inclined deposition of receptacle and the rear wall thereof, are lifted upwardly by the plate until its lowermost edge is alongside the end of the sorting bar at which point the coins will roll off the plate onto the bar. In order to insure that the coins become trapped on the plate, and that no other coins interfere with the rolling movement, a second plate is arranged for up and down movement in a location directly overlying the first plate and it provides a shielding effect in respect to the other coins in the receptacle in order to hold the coins which are trapped on the first plate and permit their rolloff without interference by the other coins The crank means for operating the second plate is such that the two plates move with the same up and down frequency of movement but the second lags in phase behind the first plate.

PATENTEUUEC Hen 3625230 SHEET 2 OF 3 corn SORTING onvrcs SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general to coin-sorting devices and in particular, to a new and useful coin-sorting machine which includes a receptacle arranged at the upper end of an inclined sorting bar and a reciprocating plate which moves upwardly and downwardly in the receptacle in order to pick up coins from the receptacle; and carry them on an inclined surface to a location at which they can roll downwardly onto the sorting bar.

It is known to equip coin-sorting machines with a circular sorting bar which rotates about its axis as a device for extracting the coins. Such a disk has circular recesses for receiving the coins from the receptacle. coin-sorting machines with such sorting disks are, however, extremely susceptible to trouble. Since the recesses in the sorting disk must have at least the diameter of the largest coin, it can happen that two of the smallest coins get stuck at the same time in the same recess, thus blocking the entire operation of the coin-sorting machine.

In accordance with the present invention the disadvantages of the prior art machines are overcome by providing a first plate which is arranged in a receptacle of the coin-sorting device and which bears in a plane of an inner-wall of the receptacle which is slightly inclined to the vertical and sloped so that the coins will be moved downwardly toward this wall. The plate is moved upwardly and downwardly by crank means and it includes an upper end face which is inclined complementary to the incline of the sorting bar. The lower edge of this upper face is positioned at least as high as the upper edge of the sorting bar during a reciprocation so that the coins may roll off this upper end face onto the sorting bar during a reciprocation. The reciprocating plate acts as an extracting device for the coins and receives coins of any diameter so that the coinsorting machine can be used for coins of any currency without any modification.

In accordance with a particular improved arrangement of the invention a second plate is reciprocated by second crank means at the same frequency as the first plate but slightly behind in phase in respect thereto and it has a plurality of upstanding fingers in the form of a comb which move upwardly through the coins which fall downwardly into the receptacle and permit the passage of some of them onto the first plate but hold the remaining coins clear of the first plate so that they do not hinder its reciprocation. This has the effect that the first plate can always receive coins in its lower reversal point so that the coin-sorting machine will not run empty. By arranging the second plate so that it reciprocates with a lag behind the first plate by a phase angle of 60 the easy continuous feeding of the coins in the receptacle to the first plate is effected. In a preferred arrangement the crank means for the plates are produced by a common crank drive of novel construction. The drive is such that both plates will have the same stroke frequency but a fixed phase displacement.

Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide an improved coin-sorting device which includes a reciprocating plate which is arranged to move upwardly and downwardly adjacent an inclined wall of a coin receptacle in order to pick up the coins in the receptacle and position them in a location from which they roll off an inclined surface of the plate and onto a sorting bar.

A further object of the invention is to provide a coin-sorting device which includes two reciprocating plates one of which is effective to move upwardly in a receptacle and pick up coins thereon and the other which is effective to hold the remaining coins in a position in which they do not interfere with the operation on the first plate, the second plate advantageously being reciprocated with a slight phase lag in respect to the first plate.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved crank mechanism for reciprocating two plates in a coin-sorting device which includes a crank mechanism connected to one of the plates with a link of two parts which are biased apart by spring means and which includes another crank arm mounted on the end of the first crank but with an offset portion to provide a phase lag in the reciprocation of the second plate.

A further feature of the invention is to provide a coin-sorting device which is simple in design, rugged in construction and economical to manufacture.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings FIG. la is a partial front elevational view, with the front cover removed, of a coin-sorting device constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. lb is a transverse sectional view of the device indicated in FIG. la;

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the lines IIII of FIG. la;

FIGS. 3a and 3b are views corresponding to FIG. la and lb but showing the mechanism in an advanced state of operation; and

FIGS. 4a and 41b are similar to FIG. la and FIG. lb but showing the mechanism in a further advanced state of operation.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings in particular, the invention embodied therein, comprises a coin-sorting device which includes a receptacle generally designated 50 which is arranged at the upper end of a sorting bar 26. The receptacle 50 is formed by a rear wall 10 which is slightly inclined to the vertical and front wall 11 which is secured to the upper part of the rear wall 10.

In accordance with the invention the receptacle 50 defines a small opening at its lower end with the rear wall 10 to permit passage of an inner or first plate 18 and an outer or second plate 19 which are reciprocated by crank means or crank drive as generally designated 12.

The crank drive 12 includes a rotatable shaft 13 which is connected to a driving motor (not shown) and which is affixed to a first crank 14 to continuously rotate this crank. On the free end of the crank 14 is mounted a first connecting rod 15 which, in turn, is pivotally connected at its outer end to the first plate 1E. A second crank 16 is affixed to the outer end of the first crank 14 and oriented in a fixed position in an angle of about 60 in respect to the first crank 14. As indicated in FIG. la the effective first crank and second crank are indicated by the radii K and K2 respectively. A second connecting rod 17 is pivotally connected between the crank 16 and the second plate 19.

Both of the plates 18 and 19 are guided by lateral guide bars 20 and 21 which are secured on the rear wall 10 of the sorting device. The first plate 18 bears on the rear wall 10 and the second plate 19 bears on the surface of the first plate 18 pointing to the interior of the receptacle 50.

In the embodiment of the invention shown, the second plate 19 is of comb-shaped configuration and includes a plurality of fingers or teeth which point upwardly. The inner side of the lower part of the coin receptacle wall 1! is provided with spaced ribs 22 which are complementary to, and engaged within the intervals of, the comb teeth 19a. The distance between the second plate 19 and the outer wall 11 is such that any dirt accumulating between the coin receptacle walls 10 and II can drop between the surfaces into the open air without the coins themselves being able to fit in the clearance. It is also possible to provide guide noses or ribs on the first plate 18 also and these would then engage intervals between the comb teeth of the second plate so that the distance between the first plate 18 and the second plate 19 can be kept great enough to permit dirt to fall therebetween. Naturally, the coin-sorting machine according to the invention also works when the second plate 19 is designed as a compact plate without the fingers 19a.

The method of operation of the coin-sorting machine according to the invention is as follows:

In the position represented in FIGS. la and 1b, the first plate 18 is in its lowermost position. In this position coins 23 standing on edge on the rear wall of the coin-sorting machine can be carried on the upper end face 24 of the first plate 18. The other coins will lie transverse in the receptacle 11 and they will not be engaged by the plate 18. As the crank drive 12 rotates in the direction of the arrow, the first plate 18 moves slowly out of its dead center position while the second plate 19 moves further downwardly. The upper end face 24 of the first plate is so beveled at its outer edge that only a small horizontal partial surface at the top is left which has at the most the thickness of the thinnest coin to be sorted. This means that the upper end face 24 forms a standing surface that is just sufficient for one coin and that any second coin extending parallel to the first coin would slide backwardly into the coin receptacle during the ascending movement of the first plate 18.

In FIGS. 3a and 3b there is indicated the position of the plates 18 and 19 after a rotation of the crank drive by 180. In this position, the first plate 18 has reached its upper reversal plane and the second plate 19 has caught up with it due to its longer stroke. In the upper most position the first plate 18 represents the inclined surface of its end face 24 in complementary alignment to the inclined surface 26 of the sorting bar so that any coins 23 which are carried thereon will roll along the end face 24 toward the sorting bar 26 for movement down the sorting bar 26 and over collecting shafts (not shown). In order to make sure that even the coins farthest away from the coinsorting bar have time enough for this rolling movement before the upper end face 24 of the first plate 18 is lowered again below the level of the sorting bar 26, a spring element in a form of a coil spring 27 is arranged between parts a and 15b of the first connecting rod 15. The spring 27 biases the parts 15a and 15b apart and the construction is such that the stroke movement of the first plate 18 is stopped short of the upper reversal plane and starts again only after the upper reversal plane due to the compression of the spring 27.

The second plate 19 loosens the coins which remain in the receptacle 50 during its uplift movement by engagement of the coins with the upwardly directed teeth 19a and, in addition, it finally positions them in the position represented in FIG. 4b with many of them held on the plate 18 but others separated from that plate within the receptacle 50. The second plate 19 does provide a separating and guiding means for the first plate and insures the unhindered rolling off of the coins 23 onto the sorting bar 26 in the uppermost position of the first plate. When the first plate 18 then moves backwardly to its lower reversal plane after the rotation of the crank drive 12 by another 150 the above cycle is repeated.

We claim:

1. A coin-sorting device wherein coins of different diameters and thicknesses are arranged into properly oriented positions for passage through the coin-sorting operation, which includes a coin receptacle for different sizes of coins, a coinsorting bar, and means for removing coins from the receptacle and positioning the coins for passage onto said coin-sorting bar, wherein the improvement comprises walls forming said receptacle and including an upwardly extending front wall and an upwardly extending rear wall spaced from said front wall, said rear wall inclined from a vertical plane extending between said front and rear walls so that its upper end is on the opposite side of the vertical plane from said front wall and said rear wall converges with the vertical plane as it extends downwardly from its upper end so that said rear wall forms a surface against which coins can be supported with the diameter dimension oriented in the upright direction, a first plate positioned within said receptacle between said front wall and said rear wall and bearing against said rear wall, said first plate having an upper edge cooperating with said rear wall for supporting coins received in said receptacle with the circumferential edges of the coins supported on said upper edge and with one face surface of the coins being supported by said rear wall, a second plate positioned within said receptacle between said front wall and said rear wall and bearing against said first plate, crank means connected to said first and second plates for moving said plates upwardly and downwardly within said receptacle so that coins supported on the upper edge of said first plate are supplied onto said sorting bar at the upper end of the upward movement of said first plate, and said first and second plates being connected to said crank means so that said second plate lags in phase behind the upward movement of said first plate.

2. In a coin-sorting device, according to claim 1, wherein said upper edge of said first plate is inclined downwardly in the direction toward said sorting bar to permit coins supported on said upper edge to roll off onto said sorting bar after the lower end of said upper edge is raised above the end of said sorting bar adjacent said receptacle.

3. In a coin-sorting device, according to claim 1, wherein said second plate is raised and lowered in such a manner by said crank means so that said second plate follows the upward movement of said first plate for deflecting coins onto said upper edge of said first plate and for holding the remaining coins in said receptacle away from said first plate, said sorting bar being arranged adjacent said receptacle at a location above the location of lowermost movement of the upper ends of said first and second plates, and said first plate being movable for presenting its upper edge above said sorting bar so that the coins supported on the upper edge of said first plate can roll ofi" onto said sorting bar.

4. In a coin-sorting device, according to claim 1, wherein said second plate lags in phase behind the first plate by an angle of about 60.

5. In a coin-sorting device, according to claim 3, wherein said crank means includes a first crank for said first plate and a second crank for said second plate, linkage means connected between said cranks and said plates, and said linkage means including a connecting rod extending between said first crank and said first plate and including two axially aligned parts and spring means disposed between said parts for biasing them apart.

6. In a coin-sorting device, according to claim 5, including a single-rotary shaft connected with each of said cranks.

7. In a coin-sorting device, according to claim 1, wherein said crank means includes a rotatable crank member and link means extending between said crank member and said first and second plates, said link means including axially aligned first and second parts, and a coil spring connected between said first and second parts for urging said parts apart, said coil spring being compressed by movement of said parts during the upward movement of said first plate.

8. In a coin-sorting device, according to claim 1, wherein said upper edge of said first plate has a first strip extending along its surface adjacent said rear wall which strip forms the surface for supporting the circumferential edges of coins being transferred from said receptacle to said sorting bar, and a second strip extending along said first strip and forming the remainder of the surface of said upper edge, and said second strip surface being bevelled for displacing any coins arranged in face to face relationship on said upper edge back into said receptacle.

9. In a coin-sorting device, according to claim I, wherein said second plate has a plurality of upwardly extending fingers spaced apart in a comblike formation.

in the direction of movement of said first plate, said guide ribs being arranged to interengage with the spaces between said fingers on said second plate so that the spacing between said first plate and said second plate can be kept at a sufficient dimension to permit dirt to fall therebetween. 

1. A coin-sorting device wherein coins of different diameters and thicknesses are arranged into properly oriented positions for passage through the coin-sorting operation, which includes a coin receptacle for different sizes of coins, a coin sorting bar, and means for removing coins from the receptacle and positioning the coins for passage onto said coin-sorting bar, wherein the improvement comprises walls forming said receptacle and including an upwardly extending front wall and an upwardly extending rear wall spaced from said front wall, said rear wall inclined from a vertical plane extending between said front and rear walls so that its upper end is on the opposite side of the vertical plane from said front wall and said rear wall converges with the vertical plane as it extends downwardly from its upper end so that said rear wall forms a surface against which coins can be supported with the diameter dimension oriented in the upright direction, a first plate positioned within said receptacle between said front wall and said rear wall and bearing against said rear wall, said first plate having an upper edge cooperating with said rear wall for supporting coins received in said receptacle with the circumferential edges of the coins supported on said upper edge and with one face surface of the coins being supported by said rear wall, a second plate positioned within said receptacle between said front wall and said rear wall and bearing against said first plate, crank means connected to said first and second plates for moving said plates upwardly and downwardly within said receptacle so that coins supported on the upper edge of said first plate are supplied onto said sorting bar at the upper end of the upward movement of said first plate, and said first and second plates being connected to said crank means so that said second plate lags in phase behind the upward movement of said first plate.
 2. In a coin-sorting device, according to claim 1, wherein said upper edge of said first plate is inclined downwardly in the direction toward said sorting bar to permit coins supported on said upper edge to roll off onto said sorting bar after the lower end of said upper edge is raised above the end of said sorting bar adjacent said receptacle.
 3. In a coin-sorting device, according to claim 1, wherein said second plate is raised and lowered in such a manner by said crank means so that said second plate follows the upward movement of said first plate for deflecting coins onto said upper edge of said first plate and for holding the remaining coins in said receptacle away from said first plate, said sorting bar being arranged adjacent said receptacle at a location above the location of lowermost movement of the upper ends of said first and second plates, and said first plate being movable for presenting its upper edge above said sorting bar so that the coins supported on the upper edge of said first plate can roll off onto said sorting bar.
 4. In a coin-sorting device, according to claim 1, wherein said second plate lags in phase behind the first plate by an angle of about 60*.
 5. In a coin-sorting device, according to claim 3, wherein said crank means includes a first crank for said first plate and a second crank for said second plate, linkage means connected between said cranks and said plates, and said linkage means including a connecting rod extending between said first crank and said first plate and including two axially aligned parts and spring means disposed between said parts for biasing them apart.
 6. In a coin-sorting device, according to claim 5, including a single-rotary shaft connected with each of said cranks.
 7. In a coin-sorting device, according to claim 1, wherein said crank means includes a rotatable crank member and link means extending between said crank member and said first and second plates, said link means including axially aligned first and second parts, and a coil spring connected between said first and second parts for urging said parts apart, said coil spring being compressed by movement of said parts during the upward movement of said first plate.
 8. In a coin-sorting device, according to claim 1, wherein said upper edge of said first plate has a first strip extending along its surface adjacent said rear wall which strip forms the surface for supporting the circumferential edges of coins being transferred from said receptacle to said sorting bar, and a second strip extending along said first strip and forming the remainder of the surface of said upper edge, and said second strip surface being bevelled for displacing any coins arranged in face to face relationship on said upper edge back into said receptacle.
 9. In a coin-sorting device, according to claim 1, wherein said second plate has a plurality of upwardly extending fingers spaced apart in a comblike formation.
 10. In a coin-sorting device, according to claim 9, wherein said front wall of said receptacle includes a plurality of ribs extending outwardly therefrom toward said rear wall and arranged to fit in interleaved arrangement between said fingers on said second plate.
 11. In a coin-sorting device, according to claim 9, wherein said first plate having guide ribs formed therein and extending in the direction of movement of said first plate, said guide ribs being arranged to interengage with the spaces between said fingers on said second plate so that the spacing between said first plate and said second plate can be kept at a sufficient dimension to permit dirt to fall therebetween. 